Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,101 acres3.6 mi of trail
North Country TrailTwin Lake Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Sheffield Township
More than half of Sheffield Township’s land is conserved: 70%
70% of Sheffield Township’s land is conserved, about 26,573 acres. 174 miles of mapped trail cross Sheffield Township, 2.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas (3.6 mi).
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
70%
26,573 acres · of 59.2 sq mi of land
Trails
174 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
16 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,008 ft
Bull Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Sheffield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sheffield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sheffield Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sheffield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land70% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (174 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (16 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home51% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Sheffield Township’s 70% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 97% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sheffield Area Schools, Sports Complex, and Playground
Park
29 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas1,101 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Sheffield Area Schools, Sports Complex, and Playground29 acres
DirectionsTionesta Park8 acres
DirectionsSheffield Memorial Field & Playground6 acres
DirectionsTionesta Creek Boat Launch1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
26,573 conserved acres
70% of Sheffield Township’s land. Who manages Sheffield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service26,559 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government14 ac
National Forest · 26,559 acLocal Park · 7 acLocal Recreation Area · 7 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 26,559 | Open |
| South Main Street Township Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
| Sheffield Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Sheffield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sheffield Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Sheffield Township
Hector Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Sheffield Township
Bull Hill2,008 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Sheffield Township
Caterpillar Tree Campsite
DirectionsMessenger Run Campsite
DirectionsRock City CampsiteIn Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas
DirectionsWhispering WindsFee
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 16.8 mi
North Country Trail11.3 mi
US Hwy Forrestry 2591.1 mi
Twin Lake Trail0.2 mi
256A0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Baseball
1Tennis
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Sheffield Township: May, August and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 80 | 79 | 73 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sheffield Township →
Next door
Sheffield Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Mead Township214 miHowe Township195 miSheffield Township174 miWetmore Township150 miCherry Grove Township69 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Township | 70% | 2.9 | 11 | 51% | A− |
| Mead Township | 70% | 2.7 | 1 | 6% | B |
| Cherry Grove Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Howe Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wetmore Township | 54% | 1.9 | 3 | 5% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sheffield Township
Where can I hike in Sheffield Township?
The longest trail networks: Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas, 3.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sheffield Township is conserved land?
70% of its land, against a typical 8% for a Pennsylvania town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Sheffield Township’s trails?
Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas and Sheffield Area Schools, Sports Complex, and Playground don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Sheffield Township?
283,773 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sheffield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 25,657 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sheffield Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Sheffield Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →